On May 1, the federal government began requiring new applicants for Social Security to sign up for direct deposit of their monthly benefit checks. The change will also affect new applicants for veterans’ benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Railroad Retirement Board benefits, among others.

Current recipients must go paperless too—but not until March 1, 2013.

For most, the requirement should be easy to fulfill. When signing up for benefits, applicants must simply include their bank account number, plus the routing number of their financial institution.

About Encore

Encore looks at the changing nature of retirement, from new rules and guidelines for financial security to the shifting identities, needs and priorities of people saving for and living in retirement. Our lead blogger is editor Matthew Heimer, and frequent contributors include editor Amy Hoak, writer Catey Hill, and MarketWatch columnists Elizabeth O’Brien, Robert Powell and Andrea Coombes. Encore also features regular commentary from The Wall Street Journal retirement columnists Glenn Ruffenach and Anne Tergesen and the Director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, Alicia H. Munnell.